Media content providers provide media content to users via one or more computer networks. Generally, individual users (e.g., subscribers) receive media content from media content providers through one or more point to point network links and display the media content via a media player. The displaying of media content is referred to as playback.
Point to point network links have an established maximum throughput rate as measured in bits per second; the established maximum throughput rate owing to either underlying technology of the link or contracted service levels for the users. Actual throughput rate is the throughput rate at which the network and its point to point links actually convey the data from the content provider to the individual user. The actual throughput rate to the user may only be a fraction of the maximum throughput rate based on environmental conditions and competing network traffic.
Since the actual throughput rate may vary based on environmental conditions and competing network traffic, the rate at which a subscriber's media player must consume (i.e., receive and play) media over a network connection (be it a constant rate or an average rate) to achieve uninterrupted playback may exceed the actual network throughput bit rate from the media content provider. In these situations, the media player must pause to wait for more data from the media content provider to arrive before it can continue to playback the media content. This pause, often referred to as buffering or re-buffering can greatly diminish the enjoyment of media viewing. In other situations, the client device (i.e, the device used to display the media content to the subscriber), may have insufficient computing resources to decode and present the media content in “real-time.” In these situations, portions of the media content may be discarded, undecoded, or unplayed so that the media player may maintain proper playback of the received media content. The playback may also slow down to present all the data of the media content, but at a reduced rate. Either the dropping of data or the slowing of playback can reduce enjoyment, and if excessive, render the media content unwatchable.